The Emobilephonedeals Guide to Free Line Rental Deals (Part 1)

You can also download the guide to read at your leisure.

• PART 1 – GET THE RIGHT DEAL
• Choose the right mobile phone
• Look carefully at the discount period, amount, contract
• Check the included minutes, texts, video calls, etc
• Check the redemption terms
• PART 2 – AFTER YOU BUY YOUR NEW PHONE
• Decide if you want to cancel any extras
• Check the redemption steps and dates, set up reminders
• Get a folder in place to store and organize your bills.
• Two months before the end, start looking to switch
• Enjoy your savings!

Free Line Rental (or Cash Back) Mobile Phone Deals

In the U.K. , we spend an average of close to £30 in fixed monthly fees on our mobile phone contracts. That comes to £360 per year in expenses, just on the line rental. But why do people keep paying that much, when you can pay a fraction (or even nothing ) online? There are a number of reasons:

• 1) They don’t know about cash back deals
• 2) They know about them but just haven’t taken the time to research them
• 3) They feel more comfortable getting their phone from high street retailers
• 4) They choose to pay the high fees to get the latest mobile phones
• 5) They think they are some kind of scam

In fact, these free line rental deals are legit - many people are already saving hundreds of pounds each year. You can get your phone and your line rental free.

But there is a catch - if you are unwary you may get tripped up on numerous potholes and be left with a sour taste in your mouth rather than cash in your pocket.

With this guide we aim to take away the uncertainty. Keep these 8 key points in mind and you’ll ensure that the whole experience is pleasant and your real problem will be deciding where to take your sweetheart with the money you save.

1. Choose the right mobile phone

With free line rental deals you will almost always receive the phone for free. Keep in mind that you’re making a choice to save money rather than pay top dollar for the latest mobile phones. That’s not to say that these offers are limited to phones from the bargain bin. You will still be able to select from a range of good mobile phones, many of which were very popular not too long ago.

It is worth browsing around to compare the selection of the top 10 to 20 phones currently being offered for free line rental deals. You want to feel satisfied that you’re getting the best deal available for the phone that you want.

The more popular phones tend to come with fewer months of free line rental, but this can vary from site to site. Ultimately, unless you’re very picky, you should be able to find a good phone that also comes with at least 6 (and usually more) months of free line rental.

2. Look carefully at the discount period and amount, and the length of the contract

Carefully check the offer and determine how much you would pay in total over the life of the contract. There are 3 important components to look for:

• 1) How many months of discounted line rental you receive
• 2) How many months of free line rental you receive
• 3) How many months the contract is for (usually 12 or 18 months)

Number (3) is especially important as many make the mistake of getting a 12 month free line rental deal thinking that they’ll pay nothing, and then realize too late that they’re on an 18 month contract.

You should sit down and calculate exactly how much you’re paying in total for a particular offer. For example:

Offer A: 11 months £5 line rental on a 12 month contract (usually £30)

11 months x £5, plus 1 month x £30 = £85 for 12 months

Offer B: 10 months free line rental on a 18 month contract (usually £30)

10 months x £0, plus 8 months x £30 = £240 for 18 months

Offer C: 12 months free line rental on a 12 month contract (usually £30)

12 months x £0 = £0 for 12 months

3. Check the included minutes, text messages, video calls, downloads etc

As with any other mobile phone contract, you want to check exactly what you’re receiving in your deal with regards to:

• Minutes (Any Time, Off-peak, Cross-Network)
• Video Calls
• Text Messages
• Inclusive Downloads etc.

Evaluate your needs honestly or you may end up paying a lot for excess monthly usage and defeat your purpose in getting a free line rental deal.

4. Check the redemption terms as these are not always shown clearly

This part is vital. You are being offered very large savings to get you to sign up, and the providers make back some of their costs by giving you a couple of hoops to jump through to actually receive your cash back.

It’s amazing how many people never actually claim all the cash back that they are entitled to. You’re not going to be one of those people.

Note: Remember that you will be making monthly payments as usual, and will then receive your money back some months later when you’ve mailed in your bills and/or redemption claims.

Look for the Help or Terms and Conditions section on the site and you should be able to find detailed information on how the redemption process works.

Watch out for any particularly convoluted methods of redemption. The usual terms involve mailing back copies of your mobile phone statements at several periods during the contract. Sometimes brief terms are given with full instructions included when you receive the package. Some things to check:

• When you have to do it – e.g. At 3 stages: after you receive your 4 th , 8 th and 12 th monthly statements
• What you have to do – e.g. At each stage, mail back the first page of one or more of your monthly statements along with a claim form
• When and how you receive your money – e.g. You receive a cheque within 45 days of each claim

If you spend 5 minutes searching and are not able to find at least brief redemption terms, then don’t buy from that website.

>> Go to the Guide to Free Line Rental Deals (Part 2 - After You Buy Your New Phone)